Surigao Sur solon’s face on hospital referrals stirs controversy

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Does an indigent patient need a congressman’s face on a piece of paper to get treatment?

A Surigao del Sur lawyer is demanding answers from health and state audit officials over referral slips carrying the portrait and name of 1st District Rep. Romeo Momo Sr.—documents the lawmaker claims his staff may have circulated without his knowledge or signature.

In an open letter posted on social media, Atty. Mary Helen Zafra challenged Momo, the Department of Health (DOH), the Commission on Audit (COA), and local executives to clarify whether political endorsements are an institutional requirement or a patron-client hurdle imposed on the rural poor.

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READ: Trusting institutions or finding a connectionAt the center of the controversy is a document titled under the “Office of the 1st Congressional District.” The document explicitly instructs the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center (ASTMMC) in Tandag City to charge patients’ medical expenses—covering diagnostic laboratory procedures, prescription drugs, and inpatient bills—against the lawmaker’s “allotment” under the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program.

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Alongside the official House of Representatives seal, the slip prominently displays Momo’s portrait and bears the signature of an “authorized” congressional staff member.

When reached for comment, Momo distanced himself from the slips, saying that he had only seen the forms recently.

“Nakita ko na. Karon pa sab ko kakita ana,” Momo said in a text message. “Gigamit sa mga tawo ko siguro… Wala koy pirma di ba?” (I have seen it now. I’ve only just seen that… Maybe my staff used it… There is no signature from me, right?)

Momo maintained that the papers do not carry binding authority over hospital administrators.

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“Yes, piro naa ra sa hospital kung dawaton nila referral… Mora na ug recommendation,” he added. (Yes, but it is up to the hospital whether they accept the referral… It’s like a recommendation.)

But Zafra pointed out that national health directives and general appropriations laws explicitly forbid political packaging of government-funded social welfare programs.

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READ: Solon says gov’t medical aid not patronage, cites PhilHealth gaps

“Is that referral actually required by DOH rules—or is it merely an endorsement that patients may obtain voluntarily?” Zafra asked, emphasizing that her inquiry seeks systemic transparency rather than leveling criminal allegations.

“Medical assistance must be based on eligibility and established rules—not on the public’s impression that access to government assistance depends on a politician,” she said. “Ang kwarta sa katawhan, dili personal nga pabor sa politiko.” (The public’s money is not a personal favor from a politician.)

The controversy gained momentum after a resident reported ward congestion at ASTMMC. The resident alleged the hospital accommodated additional patients in its chapel and corridors. The resident also said that families with medical emergencies felt compelled to make rounds at the offices of Momo and Tandag City Mayor Roxanne Pimentel to secure referral notes before attempting to claim essential supplies and vaccines.

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Dr. Janice V. Pagaran-Alcordo, ASTMMC medical center chief, was reached for comment regarding the hospital’s policy on political referral slips, but has not responded as of press time./coa